Age of Wushu is a free-to-play Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) from Snail Games. It is set in the era of the Ming Dynasty in China and revolves around the search for the Nin Yin Manual, a book containing all the secrets to becoming a master of martial arts.
Character creation is a meticulous process with a plethora of options that will allow you to create a unique hero; the only thing missing is the ability to change hair color. Instead of classes, Age of Wushu features schools, with eight available, all with unique skills and abilities. A lengthy tutorial will explain all the basics and will give you some tips on how to proceed since there is an abundance of things to do and learn in the game.
In Age of Wushu, you will not see your hero gaining levels; instead, everything you do, from killing monsters to reading ancient scrolls, will give you cultivation points which will, in time, turn to experience points. Experience points can be used to either increase your stats, or your skills. Unfortunately, you will soon see that the PVE part of the game is not going to reward your efforts accordingly since exterminating NPCs and completing quests will earn you a small amount of experience; on the other hand however, crafting items, learning to cook, fishing, training in martial arts, reading books and some other activities that fall into the PVP category will give you sufficient rewards.
Combat is action-based with excellent animation that turns it into choreography. You will surely enjoy it, especially when fighting other players. And that’s where Age of Wushu really shines; the PVP experience that this game offers is something that very few titles out there can match. In reality, after the early stages where you have a new-player protection, the world is an open battlefield where players hunt down each other. Of course, there are limitations, for example, your chosen school may scorn killing other players and decide to impose heavy penalties on you. The more players you kill, the more notorious you will become; this may result in other players (or authorities) placing a prize upon your head and eventually you may get executed!
To sum up, this is a title that really stands out; if you like the specific historic period and you would like to play a MMORPG with intense PVP action and some fresh features, Age of Wushu is a must-have!
